BTCC 2018 in-season discussion

[medius]

A thread for all the happenings going on during the season not directly related or suitable to a race weekend thread.
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TOCA test at Thruxton today, 23 cars present. Dynamics Honda's getting valuable miles. BMR split between Sutton showing god pace, Plato...not so great pace. Obviously it's not clear what the objectives were for teams today.

[crmalcolm]

Originally Posted by medius

A thread for all the happenings going on during the season not directly related or suitable to a race weekend thread.
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TOCA test at Thruxton today, 23 cars present. Dynamics Honda's getting valuable miles. BMR split between Sutton showing god pace, Plato...not so great pace. Obviously it's not clear what the objectives were for teams today.

Well, Plato must have been testing something in the car if his pace was not there, because at the end of the last race weekend they'd solved all their problems with the car.

And guess what it was all along - the tyres!!


https://www.adrianflux.co.uk/motorsp...ite-no-points/

'In terms of the pace of the car and my feeling, I’ve got my mojo back. I can feel the car. I left Sunday night with my tail in the air'

'we missed something last year and it all comes back to not doing enough work on the tyres.'

[BLiTZ]

The only thing missing last year was enough money to actually operate a BTCC team properly!

This was evident from the lack of testing, lack of R&D, lack of repairs etc all of which hurt them as a team. Sutton's ability to get the most out of a bag of crap aside, as a team their performance was dire.

[crmalcolm]

Originally Posted by BLiTZ

The only thing missing last year was enough money to actually operate a BTCC team properly!

It's clear from Scott's comments recently, that the 2017 Subaru entry was paid for with MG money. Not sure how both MG and Subaru will feel about that admission?

'Scott’s squad is reduced in size [...] a three-strong team [...] “With MG leaving I wanted to cut down, but wasn’t sure how much.”'

[peebee2]

Really, what MG money??

[S griffin]

Sutton on top, shows the car is getting there. And Mike Bushell in second, shows he's gonna have a good season, if he could just not run into other cars

[BLiTZ]

Originally Posted by crmalcolm

It's clear from Scott's comments recently, that the 2017 Subaru entry was paid for with MG money. Not sure how both MG and Subaru will feel about that admission?

'Scott’s squad is reduced in size [...] a three-strong team [...] “With MG leaving I wanted to cut down, but wasn’t sure how much.”'

I thought the common understanding was, that it was the blue side of the shed was bailing out the red, interesting if it truly was the other way round?

I do think you're taking his comment a bit too literally though, I read it more as him trying to put positive spin on the fact he's got no money and Mowle/MG have taken their bat and ball elsewhere.

"I wanted to cut down, but wasn’t sure how much.” ...more like... "We've dug down the back of the sofa, told Jason to buy his own engine and we can just about afford to run three cars this year".

Originally Posted by peebee2

Really, what MG money??

Exactly!

[Sodemo]

What are the rules regarding exhausts for NGTC?

I remember the Vauxhall Vectra S2000 / NGTC hybrid actually sounded pretty nice, almost like a Subaru Group A car, however the current exhaust notes don’t really do it for me. The TCR cars actually sound much nicer (imo).

[crmalcolm]

Originally Posted by BLiTZ

I do think you're taking his comment a bit too literally though, I read it more as him trying to put positive spin on the fact he's got no money and Mowle/MG have taken their bat and ball elsewhere.

Agreed that it is a positive spin - in much the same way that Plato's Eureka is more a hopeful rather than certain.

I understand we are obviously not going to get a brutally honest appraisal from teams - (I've been subject to a complaint from BMR for posting information that was already in the public domain on another forum) - but the teams who have been in the game for while now must know that what they posted will be read by individuals and referred back to in future discussion.

It just seems strange to make a comment about MG leaving in the context of reducing the size of a Subaru entry?

[crmalcolm]

Originally Posted by Sodemo

What are the rules regarding exhausts for NGTC?

I remember the Vauxhall Vectra S2000 / NGTC hybrid actually sounded pretty nice, almost like a Subaru Group A car, however the current exhaust notes don’t really do it for me. The TCR cars actually sound much nicer (imo).

Some of that information is in the 'private' technical manuals, but some of what you are getting from the exhaust notes is down to the common turbo / wastegate requirement. Along with the following:

'The maximum noise level is 115 dB(A) at 4500 rpm measured at 0.5 metres distance and at a 45

degree angle to the point of exit of the exhaust(s) and at a height above the ground of 0.5m

±0.1m'

[billy bleach]

Originally Posted by crmalcolm

Agreed that it is a positive spin - in much the same way that Plato's Eureka is more a hopeful rather than certain.

I understand we are obviously not going to get a brutally honest appraisal from teams - (I've been subject to a complaint from BMR for posting information that was already in the public domain on another forum) - but the teams who have been in the game for while now must know that what they posted will be read by individuals and referred back to in future discussion.

It just seems strange to make a comment about MG leaving in the context of reducing the size of a Subaru entry?

If BH is a good sign the MG's seem to have upped their game

[S griffin]

Last season MG were up there at a few meetings, so it wasn’t all bad for them. We’ll see what AMD can do with them

[Craner Curves]

Originally Posted by S griffin

Last season MG were up there at a few meetings, so it wasn’t all bad for them. We’ll see what AMD can do with them

Nonsense, it was horrific. They've already claimed half of last season's total points haul after 3 races. That says it all.

[Alfisti]

Yes, all I remember of the MGs is the drivers completely over-driving the cars and causing numerous accidents... utter disaster, and neither Lloyd, Cook or ATS are bad drivers. Conclusion is the cars were not engineered or prepped properly.

[S griffin]

Originally Posted by Craner Curves

Nonsense, it was horrific. They've already claimed half of last season's total points haul after 3 races. That says it all.

Helped by the weather to be fair, although it was still a good job. We'll see how they go at Donny, especially if the weather is dry

[Alfisti]

The weather did indeed help, but everyone could have made the choice to run slicks in R2. The tyre choices on the two MGs and Olis Audi were inspired (or just lucky!).

That the Audi and an MG were well up in R3 suggests genuine speed... 😀

[crmalcolm]

During the Brands Meeting, and a couple of times afterwards, I have heard Rob Austin describe the Alfa as only being '3 days old' when they were racing in Round 1.

I know the car was presented to the public a lot longer than 3 days prior to the meeting - but also that they missed the Brands test on the 4th April.

Did HMS undertake a major rebuild prior to the meeting - or was he referring to only having had 3 days of testing in the car?

[AdrianM]

Originally Posted by crmalcolm

I know the car was presented to the public a lot longer than 3 days prior to the meeting - but also that they missed the Brands test on the 4th April.

When the car was presented at Autosport it was just a bare shell. It was completely empty inside. So the amount of time the car has been in the public eye doesn't equal the amount of time it's been a running race car.

However it was running well before three days before Brands so I presume he's talking about actual days it's spent on the track but by that logic most of the cars are that "age".

[medius]

Interesting to see Team Parker Focus is back under the ownership of Motorbase to be prepped into a spare shell, more than a few teams seem to be making plans now for spare cars. More than we saw in the first 5 years of NGTC. Maybe a result of the Croft accident last year and the threat of losing a TBL through missing a weekend?

[billy bleach]

Originally Posted by medius

Interesting to see Team Parker Focus is back under the ownership of Motorbase to be prepped into a spare shell, more than a few teams seem to be making plans now for spare cars. More than we saw in the first 5 years of NGTC. Maybe a result of the Croft accident last year and the threat of losing a TBL through missing a weekend?

I thought the RS was a new car . Is the shell the same? Whats new?

[AdrianM]

Most of the "updates" to new models on these cars are just panels. Even going from saloons to estates is just panels.

[VIVA GT]

I think that as well as obvious cosmetic changes on the surface, there's a lot more going on under the skin with aerodynamics nowadays. let's face it, most of the cars this year are sporting different bodykits to what they used in 2017.

[crmalcolm]

Originally Posted by billy bleach

I thought the RS was a new car . Is the shell the same? Whats new?

If it helps, the following example:

What was chassis 'MBP-005-2014' (which in effect is the roll cage / shell assembly) was originally built in 2014 and ran for Mat Jackson.

The engine was changed to an EcoBoost for 2015.

The car was re-bodied as an RS for the 2018 season, and is being driven by Tordoff.

[crmalcolm]

So - Neal's picked up another in-season hand injury!!

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=2030719133837543&id=100006984282007

[Alfisti]

Triggers broom basically!